'No new structure at the spot where Rajbari once stood'
Black Day on Oct 8 every year: COCOMI
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, October 14 2025: The Manipur Rajbari in ruins after its demolition must be preserved as it is, and no new structure resembling it or otherwise must be constructed over the ruins, the Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI) has said today.

Any new structure that comes up must not be at the spot where the Rajbari once stood.

The COCOMI said this as it announced that October 8, the day Rajbari was demolished to the ground, will be observed as Black Day every year.

The historic Manipur Rajbari in Shillong's Redlands was where Maharaja Bodhchandra signed the Manipur Merger Agreement on September 21, 1949 .

Its demolition came to light recently, shocking the consciousness of the Manipuri people and courting strong criticisms from different sectors.

'No new structure at the spot where Rajbari once stood'

As condemnations continue to pour in, COCOMI's convenor, Khuraijam Athouba, at the committee's office at Lamphel, said the Rajbari's ruins must be preserved and protected.

"The plot, materials and the present state of the Manipur Rajbari in ruins after its demolition must be preserved as it is.

No new structure resembling it or otherwise must be built on the same plot," Athouba explicitly told reporters at the press meet.

If a new structure resembling it is to be built then it should be constructed on empty plots near or adjacent to it, he said.

The Manipur Rajbari was a living monument teaching generations of Manipuris about the history of the signing of the controversial merger agreement in 1949 which ended Manipur's existence as an independent State, Athouba said.

The demolition of such a monument which held great historical significance without telling the people is the same as erasing Manipur's history, he added.

October 8--the day this living archive (Rajbari) was pulled down to the ground� will be observed as Black Day every year to remind the deliberate attempt to erase Manipur's history, Athouba said.

Hinting that the Rajbari could have been preserved, Athouba said that the "Yumjao" at the INA Headquarters in Moirang has been preserved, spending crores of rupees.

The Rajbari has been demolished, but the plot where it stood and all its materials must be kept protected and preserved properly, he added.

Athouba then called out the Planning and Development Authority (PDA) for trying to justify the demolition of the Rajbari.

The PDA has clarified that the demolition was necessary saying the termite eaten wooden structures had made it weak.

This clarification of the PDA is irresponsible and it reflects their carelessness and lack of professionalism, he said.

The Rajbari in Redlands was not just any ordinary house but a piece of Manipuri history and heritage, he added.

There is no justification for demolishing a historical and heritage site.

No matter how weakened the structures were, proper measures could have been taken up to repair and strengthen it, Athouba said.

In 2022, there was information about plans to repair the Rajbari building.

The sudden demolition of the building for so-called reconstruction came as a great shock, he said.

Athouba continued that the demolition of the Rajbari has shown the lack of respect for historical and heritage monuments by the Art and Culture Department and the Planning and Development Authority (PDA).

The people were not informed and experts were not consulted, and no Detailed Project Report (DPR) was prepared before the demolition took effect.

It was public deception at best, Athouba said.

"Now it is said that a new building resembling the Rajbari will be built in its place.

However, it must not be built on the same plot.

The new building must be built on an empty area near the original plot," Athouba said.

On the proposed reconstruction, Athouba said the authorities must clearly state who are leading and supervising the monitoring and supervision committee that has been formed.

Further, any lapses and lack of coordination between the Art and Culture Department and the PDA in connection with the demolition of the Rajbari must be probed and ascertained, he added.

Until a resolution is reached between authorities in Redlands, heritage experts, historians and civil society organisations on the issues surrounding the demolition of the Rajbari, no work related to reconstruction must start, Athouba said.

In addition, the PDA must place the Detailed Project Report (DPR) for the proposed new Rajbari building before the public, he added.

Several members of the COCOMI attended the press meet.